The present invention relates generally to containers that are expandable into open configurations for placing items therein and collapsible into compact configurations for facilitating storage when empty. More specifically, the invention relates to containers including flexible sidewalls provided with springs for biasing the containers to the expanded configuration.
Collapsible containers designed for use around the house, the yard and at other locations are well known. For example, collapsible containers are often used for handling yard waste such as grass clippings, weeds, leaves and cut branches. Collapsible containers are also frequently used for temporary storage of items when traveling and for more permanent storage of items around the house or garage. Such collapsible containers offer a significant advantage over rigid containers that may also be used for these purposes in that the collapsible containers can provide a large volume of store space when expanded but require only a relatively small amount of space for storage of the container itself when empty and collapsed.
Collapsible containers including fabric sidewalls and bottom walls and coil springs for biasing the containers to their expanded configurations are well known. One drawback of these containers is that the lower edges of the fabric sidewalls and the fabric bottoms tend to wear out prematurely because these containers are loaded so heavily with items that they cannot be comfortably lifted and thus are dragged along the ground. The fabric can become torn if snagged or worn through from abrasion when dragged over rough surfaces such as concrete.
Although containers having sidewalls and bottom walls made from more durable materials (e.g., metals and relatively thick plastic layers) do not suffer from such premature wear, such containers are typically not collapsible and hence they require significant storage space when empty.
Consequently, it would be desirable to provide a collapsible container that is more durable than existing collapsible containers, while being relatively inexpensive to manufacture.
The present invention facilitates the durability of collapsible containers having flexible sidewalls and coil springs for biasing the containers to the expanded configuration by affixing durable bottom shells to such containers. The durable bottom shells provides such collapsible containers with increased durability when used for tasks as described above and other tasks in which the containers may be heavily loaded. Example of such other tasks include but are not limited to the use of such containers as a portable cooler or keg holder, as a laundry storage unit or hamper, as a portable tote bag, and the like.
According to a first aspect of the invention, a collapsible container includes a cylindrical sidewall extending between a top and a bottom of the container. The sidewall is formed of a flexible material which enables the container to be opened to an expanded configuration or closed to a collapsed configuration. A coil spring biases the container to the open configuration. The coil spring has a top coil adjacent the top of the container and a bottom coil adjacent the bottom of the container. A durable bottom layer is affixed to the bottom of the container.
According to another aspect of the invention, a collapsible container can be opened to an expanded configuration and closed to a collapsed configuration. A sidewall formed of a flexible material has an upper end adjacent a top of the container and a lower end adjacent a bottom of the container. A coil spring biases the container to the expanded configuration. The coil spring has a top coil adjacent the top of the container and a bottom coil adjacent the bottom of the container. A durable bottom layer is affixed to the bottom of the container.
According to a further aspect of the invention, a collapsible container has an expanded configuration and a collapsed configuration. The container includes a cylindrical sidewall formed of a flexible material. The sidewall has an upper end adjacent a top of the container and a lower end adjacent a bottom of the container. The sidewall is collapsible and expandable along an axis extending between the top and the bottom of the container. A durable plastic shell is secured to the bottom of the container.
These and other benefits and features of the invention will be apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof, presented in connection with the following drawings in which like reference numerals identify like elements throughout.